Rufus Wright and More Join The Audience at the Gielgud Theatre

Wednesday, 5th Dec 2012

Michael Elwyn and Nathaniel Parker Also Among Those Heading to the West End with Helen Mirren as The Queen

Earlier in November three names were added to the cast list of Helen Mirren’s “The Audience” as Robert Hardy, Haydn Gwynne and Paul Ritter were announced as Prime Ministers Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and John Major respectively. Now three more Prime Ministers have been announced for a show that sees the Queen meet with various heads of government during her reign on the throne.

Rufus Wright has been revealed as the actor set to portray current PM David Cameron in the production, whilst Michael Elwyn and Nathaniel Parker have been tasked with playing Anthony Eden and Gordon Brown respectively. It means that the cast is coming together nicely for a production that will see Helen Mirren reprise her role as Queen Elizabeth II following her performance in the Peter Morgan film “The Queen” (Morgan is also penning “The Audience”).

The show will ensure audiences continue to head to the Gielgud Theatre, which is the current home of “Chariots of Fire” following its appearance that coincided with the London 2012 Olympic Games.

“The Audience” is a different beast and will focus on those meetings between Prime Ministers and The Queen. As these discussions are behind closed doors writer Peter Morgan has been tasked with imaging their contents himself. But whilst this is a fictionalised look at the relationships between Her Majesty and the various PMs she has seen over the years, it is still likely to be an insightful look into a long period of British history.

Rufus Wright has enjoyed a career as an actor both of the stage and of the screen. Those that pick up theatre tickets may recognise him from shows like “The 39 Steps” at the Criterion Theatre and “Frost/Nixon” (another Peter Morgan play) at the Donmar Warehouse (understudying for Michael Sheen, himself well known for playing a well known Prime Minister onscreen). His screen roles have included the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace”, the Peter Morgan television movie “The Special Relationship” and the ever popular soap “EastEnders”.

“The Audience” is at the Gielgud Theatre from Tuesday 5th March 2013 (with previews from Friday 15th February 2013) to Saturday 15th June 2013.